Invention Reference Number
Sugars (glucose and xylose) can be converted into dioxolanes which phase separate from water. These dioxolanes can be heterolytically cleaved, which acts as a controlled dehydration reaction and results in ring closing of the subsequent structure to furans such as 5-hydroxymethyl furfural and furfural. This has applications to removing and converting sugars directly from hydrolysates, which are mixtures of sugars formed directly from biomass.
Description
5-HMF and furfural are valuable biobased compounds, but their production is often limited by low efficiency and the creation of unwanted byproducts. Sugars like glucose and xylose can be turned into dioxolanes, which separate from water when mixed with a solid acid catalyst and an aldehyde. These dioxolanes can then be broken down using a zeolite catalyst, leading to the production of furans such as 5-hydroxymethyl furfural and furfural. This method provides a way to extract and convert sugars directly from biomass-derived hydrolysates.
Benefits
- Increases yield to near quantitative relative to ~65% using conventional methods
- Avoids formation of intractable humins
- Low temperature and easy separation from hydrolysate broths
Applications and Industries
- This could build a new platform molecule for biomass conversions
Contact:
To learn more about this technology, email partnerships@ornl.gov or call 865-574-1051.
